Shipyard Brewing Company has released its popular Pugsley’s Signature Series collection in a four bottle sampler box. This sampler pack contains one each of the four 22 oz. Pugsley’s Signature Series beers.

This series is named after Shipyard’s master brewer, Alan Pugsley. Pugsley’s career began in England where he worked under the tutelage of renowned brewer Peter Austin at the world-famous Ringwood Brewery in Hampshire. Pugsley moved to the United States in 1986 to consult on the construction of dozens of North American breweries before partnering with Fred Forsley at the Shipyard Brewing Company in 1992.

The four beers in the Pugsley’s Signature Series sampler collection are Smashed Pumpkin, XXXX IPA, Imperial Porter, and Barley Wine Style Ale. More information about these beers follows below:

Smashed Pumpkin is a big-bodied beer with a light coppery orange color and pleasing aroma of pumpkin and nutmeg. Smashed Pumpkin pairs well with sharp cheeses, nuts, lamb, hearty stews and desserts like flan or pumpkin pie. Chefs find this an excellent beer to cook with in dishes such as braised short ribs. On a lighter note, this beer is fabulous with Fig Newtons.

Malt: Pale Ale, Wheat and Light Munich Malts
Hops: Willamette and Hallertau
OG: 1.088
ABV: 9%

XXXX IPA is a non-traditional American IPA with a brilliant copper color and the classic citrus nose of Cascade Hops. This beer demonstrates a unique balance of malt-inspired, delicate red grapefruit sweetness and lingering hop dryness. XXXX IPA won a Silver Award at the 2009 United States Open Beer Championships. This beer pairs well with Cajun dishes, blackened fish, and BBQ.

Malt: Malted Wheat, Pale Ale, Crystal, and Caramalt
Hops: Cascade, Warrior, Summit and Glacier, 70 IBUs
OG: 1.092
ABV: 9.25%

Imperial Porter is a full bodied, very dark, malty beer with a good roasted character. The beer has an OG of 1.070, rounding out after fermentation with just a slight residual sweetness and cutting dry at the finish. This year, Imperial Porter took home a 2nd place Porter award at the West Coast Brewers Festival. This beer pairs well with meat dishes, shepherd’s pie, and stews.

Malt: Crystal, Chocolate and Black Patent
Hops: Warrior, English Fuggles, and East Kent Goldings
OG: 1.070
ABV: 7.1%

Barley Wine Style Ale is a big beer made with six different malts and balanced with a very full hop charge. It is a deep reddish brown in color with a complex fruity nose, a very full body, and an interesting balance between grains and hops which ends with a pleasing dry taste. This beer pairs particularly well with dark chocolate and sharp cheeses, such as Stilton.

Malt: Pale Ale, Crystal, Caramunich, Wheat, Chocolate and Roasted Barley
Hops: Summit, Challenger and Fuggles
OG: 1.088
ABV: 8.5%

To fully enjoy all the flavors, Pugsley’s Signature Series ales are best drunk at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This sampler pack is currently available at fine retailers in New England and Florida with a suggested retail price of $24.99. Distribution of this special package will expand to other markets in 2010.

Shipyard Brewing Company is located on the historic waterfront in Portland, Maine and produces more than 15 varieties of award-winning English style and seasonal beers. Its products are distributed in over 35 states.